Here’s what you should know.
1. Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Pa.) raised the question whether Medicaid benefited its intended beneficiaries, citing data from the Foundation for Government Accountability. During the hearing, Rep. Murphy claimed Medicaid expansion put some disabled individuals at risk of receiving worse care, while providing coverage to “able-bodied individuals.”
2. Rep. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) said during the hearing the Republicans are using “alternative facts,” to “obscure the truth and rip healthcare away from millions of Americans,” MedPage Today reports.
3. Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) reminded committee members everyone receiving Medicaid benefits received it through the ACA.
4. Rep. DeGette later said to Medpage the hearing “was a ruse for Republicans trying to make a case for cutting funding from Medicaid.
5. The cross party debate was fueled in part by discussions for cutting federal funding for Medicaid spurred by Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wis.). Rep. Ryan is a proponent of providing states with block grants to fund Medicaid, an idea President Donald Trump supports.
More articles on coding, billing and collections:
Surgical Notes taps Angela Mattioda as VP of revenue cycle management services: 3 key notes
Payers increasing scrutiny of coding compliance
Medicaid cuts would disproportionately affect children: 4 takeaways
